Page 57 of Loathe Me (Touch of Death 1)
“Adelina!” I growl.
Nero shifts closer to her. “Why would you want to go to Enrique Bianchi?”
She squares her shoulders, and a twisted smile forms on her lips. “He killed my father. I owe him a blood debt.”
“I’m sorry, princess, the decision has been made.”
“None of you can get close to him! I can. If I kill him, it solves all of our problems,” she pushes, but he ignores her.
With a pointed glance in my direction, he leaves, and then it’s just Adelina and me facing off. “What are you going to do?” I ask. “You’ll never make it past the gates.”
She chews on her bottom lip. When I take a step forward, she lurches back. Running out of patience, I move, pinning her against the door. She struggles, so I grab both her wrists in one hand, pulling them above her head.
“Stop.”
“Fuck you, Sasha.” On a sigh, I bend over and pick her up, tossing her over my shoulder. “Sasha!”
I march her along the hall and up the stairs. A series of catcalls and whistles come from somewhere down the hall, but I ignore them. I deposit her on her bed, and she glares at me through messy, tangled hair.
I walk over to the balcony doors which are open, of course. The scent of cut grass and flowers drifts in on the unseasonably warm breeze. I inhale a deep, cleansing breath before I turn around and face her.
“We are not giving you to Enrique.”
She pushes to her feet. “I heard you!”
“You heard half of a conversation!”
Her arms fold over her chest. “Why not? Why aren’t you giving me to him? Moral obligation?”
“No—”
“Because if so, I’m good.”
My patience starts to wear thin. “Adelina.”
“I can handle myself. I don’t need your obligation.”
“You know why!” I snap, and she falls into silence. We both stare at each other for a moment. “I told you, I will not let him have you.”
“That was before he threatened everyone you love.”
I shake my head. “We’ve faced worse than Enrique Bianchi. Trust me.”
“So what now?” she asks, but I don’t know how much to tell her. “That! See, that right there. I’m done with it.” She points at me. “Stop treating me like a child.” She asked for it.
“Okay. Bianchi wants you. If we don’t hand you over, he’s going to be at our gates in twenty-four hours with an army of Elite.”
Her eyes go wide, and she chews on her bottom lip anxiously. “You have to let me go,” she whispers.
“No! How many times do I have to say it? No!”
Her face softens, anger morphing to pity and I hate it. She crosses the room, moving closer. “Sasha…”
I close that small gap between us and grasp her jaw, forcing her to look right at me. “Do you trust me?” I ask.
“Yes.” Her eyes never waver from mine.
I drop my forehead against hers, and if I’m honest, this scares me. I worry that she’ll do something stupid. I hate losing control, and Adelina is the wildest creature I’ve ever come across. Why did it have to be her, of all people? “Then please, trust that we have this.”
“Okay,” she finally breathes. She pulls back, and those deep blue eyes lock with mine. “You know, I miss being on the run. Things were simpler.”
They were definitely simpler. She was a job, and I was a soldier. There was nothing more than reason and responsibility between us. Now…now everything has shifted. I can’t even trust my own motivations anymore. She’s a toxic addiction that I can’t seem to quit, yet I loathe myself for being so weak.
Stepping around her, I move towards the door. “Please don’t assault anymore of Nero’s men,” I say.
She offers a small smile before ducking her head. I walk out, closing the door behind me.
19
Adelina
I’m out of time. Twenty-four hours is not enough. Tommy has been with me all day, and I know he’s my acting bodyguard. Una, Nero, and Sasha have been preparing the house for an attack. I’ve heard talk of fifty. Cal’s on the roof, machine guns on the lawn. They’re turning the Hamptons into a warzone.
Tommy chatters like nothing out of the ordinary is happening, but I’m lost in thought. As the afternoon ticks on, the sun drops in the sky like sand running through a timer. I can almost see it sliding through my fingers, grain by precious grain. When it finally sinks below the horizon, it feels like the falling of an axe. Time’s up.
I wonder if Enrique is out there right now, waiting. I imagine what would happen if the Elite did get past all the security and heavy guns. Would they kill everyone? Margo? Tommy? Dante? I swallow back bile at the thought. Why can’t they see how stupid this is?
As the clock ticks past eight, something starts to happen. I can hear the quickening of feet over floorboards as Nero’s men all flock to the front of the house.
